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It’s been a bit of a slow week for me horse-wise. I have a new farrier coming out to do Henry’s feet on Friday but until then they’re looking pretty shabby, so I’ve limited it to just a couple of short flatwork rides. Two good-news points from this though: he’s continuing to improve as far as his forwardness and consistency in the contact, and less barn time has meant more personal time. It’s been nice to hang out with the SO for a change, plus we got to go see X-Men! Staring at this for 130 minutes did not suck.

Back to the horse stuff. There are some big changes on the horizon… we’ll be moving to a new barn in July. Well, a re-new barn since I boarded there briefly in 2001 before I moved to the East Coast to be a working student. It’s tough to leave the current barn because I consider the trainer a friend, and really like all of my fellow barnmates. This was a very hard decision but due to a myriad of different reasons I think it will be a beneficial change for both of us. It’s very bittersweet for me and I’m sad but excited at the same time. It will however likely mean less horse shows, but there are lots of opportunities to have fun in other ways (maybe dipping my toe into The Dark Side?) so hopefully it’ll equal out.

Once we get moved I’ll post more details about the new place, but until then enjoy a couple of pictures pulled from the internet.

 

And since it’s great timing on Throwback Thursday, we’ll keep with the new barn theme… here’s a picture of me on my first horse Charlie, riding at this barn in 2001.

 

And me showing there on a catchride in 2010.

 

I was reading on a popular online forum the other day about boarding barns and barn rules and as I came across a couple of responses I thought “No way, that’s a dealbreaker”. Then I started thinking about all the places I’ve boarded in my life and all their different rules, practices, facilities, etc. There’s so many things that I’ve learned along the way that I must have in a boarding facility, or can’t have in a boarding facility. As I sat there pondering away in lalaland and reading through everyone’s stories about their own barns I came up with a list in my head…

Must Haves:

Turnout. I really really think horses need at least 6 hours of turnout a day. I’ve been at both ends of the spectrum – a barn that turned out maybe 30mins-1hr every other day, and pasture boarded horses that were out 24/7. Pasture board is tough in a Texas summer though, and I tend to need mine body clipped in the winter, therefore it’s not always practical. So to me the perfect compromise is 6-12 hours of turnout. If they have a run attached to their stall so they can come in and out as they please the rest of the time, even better.

Good footing. We all know how important this is. I can live with a place that won’t let you ride when the rings are wet, as long as the footing is good the rest of the time. It should be even, the right depth, not too soft, not too hard, and dragged/watered regularly. Keeping the horses sound is of the utmost importance. I also think its a huge bonus if there’s a nice big field to hack out in so we can escape the confines of the arena regularly.

Good care. The horses obviously must be watered at all times (most places here have auto waterers, but not everyone cleans them), they must have ample hay, they must be fed on a regular schedule, the stalls must be clean and bedded appropriately, etc etc. I can’t stand dirty waterers, meager hay, or filthy stalls. It’s also important to me that someone live on the property – the closer to the horses, the better.  And they need to be paying attention!

A decent trainer. I’ve boarded at lots of places with no trainer, and it’s been fine, but with the current horse I do need someone around that can help me develop him correctly. Preferably a person with a strong jumper background that has an eye for detail and is really nit-picky… that’s my favorite kind.

My can’t haves are basically the opposite of the above. Bad footing, bad care, no turnout and a bad trainer are things I cannot live with.

As far as barn rules go, I wouldn’t get far in a place that required X number of shows otherwise you incur a non-showing fee. Nope, won’t happen. I also won’t be buying all new blankets and equipment in barn colors just so everything can match. Nope again. I don’t think I could deal with boarding at a place that had specific hours/days that you were allowed to come ride. Barns that are totally closed on Mondays or by 8pm? What? Nope. All of those are dealbreaker rules for me.

Otherwise I think I could live with most things. I would consider rules about cleaning up after yourself, wearing a helmet, no sandals, no smoking, maintenance of the property, etc to be positive things. Heck, I grew up riding with a trainer who didn’t allow tank tops, required your hair be up in your helmet correctly, god forbid you have shavings in your horse’s tail or not get every square inch wet when bathing, not wrap a leg 100% evenly or not clean your tack after every ride. They weren’t written rules but lets just say you only made those mistakes once. 😉 But I really appreciate that kind of upbringing now, and try to keep high standards for myself… therefore it doesn’t really matter to me if that level of detail is expected since I do it most of the time anyway.

The one rule I can’t really decide how I feel about is the “no jumping outside of lessons”. I don’t jump all the time, but I do like to hop over a few low fences a couple times a week just as a refresher. And my pocketbook is not of the variety than can afford 3 lessons a week. If you had a made horse it probably wouldn’t matter, but what about a greenie? What could you do to cope with a rule like that? Set up pole exercises one day a week and do a lesson another day a week and say that’s enough? That’s the only one I’m really hung up on.

What about you – what are your must haves/can’t haves? What rules do you love, what rules do you hate? What do you consider a “dealbreaker”? I’m sure there are a lot more I haven’t thought of.

There wasn’t much talk here of the Henrypants last week, mostly because it rained a lot at the beginning of the week so I didn’t ride much. I did have lots of time to sit and stew over the Great Horse Show Catastrophe ad nauseam though. I watched the video about a dozen times and came to one definite conclusion: we need better flatwork. I saw a horse that never truly looked like he was in front of my leg and into my hand the way he should be. I think because he has a major tendency to curl up behind the bit so much, I in turn tend to let him take the easy way out with a hackamore all the time, and don’t necessarily ride him as forward to get him UP into my hand. We’re both cheating.

That all changed on Thursday. Out came the dreaded (in Henry’s never humble opinion) loose ring french link, and we started flatwork boot camp.

OMG I’M CHOKING TO DEATH ON THIS METAL THING, HAAAALP

While Henry isn’t much of a fan, he has been pretty cooperative so far. My legs however are dying. Getting this horse out in front of you is a serious job… he’d rather go through life at one speed with his nose tucked in like a roly poly at any hint of contact.  This weekend we trotted and cantered with impulsion, walked like we were on a mission, lengthened, shoulder-ined, haunches-ined, leg yielded, spiraled in and out on a circle, serpentined, halted, sat the trot, stretchy trotted (eh… kinda), flying changed, simple changed (through the walk like a gangsta), hand-galloped and we even did a couple impromptu dressage tests as a status check. What’s more – a couple times we even went straight. Like legit nose to tail straight. No wiggle, no wandering butt, no bulging shoulder, just right there perfectly between both hands and both legs. Everyone be impressed right now. I’m not saying we did all of those things particularly well, but some of it we did, and for the rest we damn well gave it our best shot. Baby steps.

I’m not quite sure who has done more work at this point – me or him. I’ve been pouring sweat like a water fountain and he’s been pretty whooped after each ride. But I feel like even in just these 3 rides we’ve made some progress. We’re both steadier and we’re both paying more attention to the tiny details. I am determined to get him in front of my leg and he’s going to learn that contact isn’t the end of the world, even if it kills me. I hopped him over a handful of jumps at the end of Saturday’s session and things seemed to feel a little better, so we’ll see where this goes.

Flatwork boot camp is hard, y’all

Also – how the hell is it JUNE already? Summer, here we come. I’m so not ready for 100+ degree temps yet, but we’re getting dangerously close to triple digits. Boo.

I have owned and loved my Royal Rider Flex stirrups for over 4 years now with no complaints. Before they came along I had used HS 6 way irons for 9 years, and didn’t realize until I tried the RR just how unstable the HS had made my leg. It was love at first ride and we’ve been together ever since.

Of course now USEF has come along and thrown a wrench in our romance by no longer allowing black stirrups in equitation classes. Really this wouldn’t normally effect me much… my equitation is more reminiscent of Quasimodo than Lillie Keenan, but I have had my eyeball on some medal classes lately. Ya know, personal challenges outside of one’s comfort zone (ie masochism and terrible ideas) and all that. Our local circuit offers a medal at both 2’6″ and 3′, both of which are appealing enough for me to at least want to try it out a few times. Hence that would mean new stirrups. If I’m being really honest I also can’t blame it 100% on USEF – I have to admit that I’m a little “over” the black plastic look. Metal is just so much prettier and more classic.

I have had ankle and knee issues my whole life, and even just 5 minutes in regular stirrups makes my ankles feel like they’re on fire and I slowly lose circulation to my feet. My flexibility is also not that great (read: horrendous). I’ve had a lot of success with the wide footbed and really like the more cheesegrater-esque pad for stability. What I’m not sure about is if the “flex” part of my Royal Riders or the super lightweight composite really makes a difference for me. Hence why I have been ogling new irons like an indecisive lunatic for months now.

I’ve narrowed it down to a few options. I wish some genius tack shop out there offered a trial program on things like this, so I could get two or three different pairs at a time and compare them. Alas that’s not the case so instead I will become maniacally obsessive and take forever to make up my mind. We’re lucky I haven’t made an excel spreadsheet yet. Here are the finalists I’ve got so far:

MDC S Classic

These have the features I’m really looking for: metal, wide footbed, lots of traction. Do I need the 45 degree “forward stirrup positioning technology”? Not a damn clue. Would I like the fact that these have a little more weight to them, like a traditional iron? Also not a damn clue. At $150 I’d call these moderately priced.

 

Jin Kinko

Also metal, also wide footbed, also lots of traction. But these are aluminum. Again – do I like how lightweight my Royal Riders are or do I prefer more weight? Still not a damn clue. I do like that the footbed is slightly angled, that sounds helpful. But at $265, these things are expensive.

 

Equitaly Greep

If I were picking based solely on looks, these would be my winner. I think they’re pretty and sleek but still modern. Like the Jins these are lightweight aluminum. Still wide footbed, still super grippy. They ring in around $230… still crazy expensive, but not quite Jin crazy expensive.

 

Amidale Jin knockoffs

I’ve never been one to shy away from a good knockoff. These are also made of aluminum, have the wide footbed and lots of traction. I like that they offer a kind of a matte/flat metal coating so they aren’t super shiny. But as with all knockoffs the question is – are they comparable to the original or just a sad wannabe? The price on these is really appealing though at only $75.

 

Knowing me, I will waffle back and forth on this for months before eventually making up my mind. That’s my standard MO for any kind of “big” purchase. Then I’ll compulsively online shop to find the best price, so we’re not looking at any kind of immediate decision here. What do y’all think? What’s your favorite stirrup at the moment and why?

 

Before I get started on relaying how the long weekend went, I want to congratulate Carly S. on winning the One Horse shirt giveaway! Thanks everyone who participated. I hope if you didn’t win you will consider buying some shirts from onehorsethreads.com … I wore one of mine to the show on Friday and had several people ask me where I got it.

On to the weekend recap. I wish I could come back here and report that the show went fantastic and was all sunshine and daisies and happiness, but it wasn’t. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t super bummed and a little sad/upset. But I am one of those people who really focuses a lot on the negative and beats myself up to a bloody pulp, so I’m going to try to point out the good along with the bad here, even if only to help myself out a bit.

The Good – Henry schooled great on Friday. A little hairy eyeball at a random trash can or oddly placed standard but for the most part he was super in both rings, even amongst some really intense tragedy happening with other people. He jumped around everything just fine, maybe even a bit over-enthusiastically as he was pulling me around a little. Also, super fantastic Megan from The Tack Shop of Austin was able to ship my new Ogilvy pad straight to the show to make sure I would have it in time, so it was a little exciting to arrive and have that waiting for me. Alas, that’s a whole ‘nother bunny trail and I’ll have a full review coming up in the next few days.

The Bad – it was hot, humid, and Henry was a little screamy. He’s normally not a particularly vocal horse at shows, but he was letting loose with some really ear piercing ones. In general he just seemed not quite 100% settled.

The Good – On Saturday (henceforth known as the Longest Saddest Day Ever) we had a hunter class first. I had him entered in one hunter class and two jumper classes during the day, just to make sure he got in both rings at the height of the two night classes we were doing. He was pretty fussy about temporarily losing his “Bitless Henry” status and made himself a bit nervous chomping on the bit but he marched around pretty well and was 2nd in the 2’9″ warmup out of… a lot. Then over to jumperland and again he marched around the 2’9″ and the 3′ like a champion, although had a couple cheap rails. He just got a little flat and blah. It was still very very humid though and he doesn’t seem to handle humidity well so I just figured he needed a break. He got a bath and hung out in front of the fan for a while and had a few hours to recharge.

 

hunterland

 

jumperland

The Bad – He did not recharge. In fact, he just put on a sour attitude and decided he was done playing the horse show game. I still don’t really know quite what happened. I got him back out for the jumper classic and he was just pissed. He didn’t seem sore or particularly tired, just DONE. He gave me a big eff you to both the jumper classic (nope, I will not take a longish spot to a big oxer going into a combination just after passing the ingate) and the hunter derby (nope, I will not whoa in the line and still jump out of it). I ended up sitting on an oxer in the derby, which had taken until 11pm to run in the first place. So… that went well.

The Good – Um… he looked cute braided? (Thanks to fellow blogger Lauren of She Moved To Texas! Most of these pics are hers too.)

The Bad – His mood continued to Sunday. Still had a big ol’ grumpypants on when I got him out for his jumper classes. I had decided to add a 2’6″ and scratch the 3′ just to back it way down and make it easy for him. He stopped in the warm-up ring (what is happening??? says my now panicked inner self) and I ended up having to smack him. A barnmate passed me her whip for the 2’6″ class, just in case, and that sent poor little Henry brain over the edge. He jumped around super honestly, but at Mach 10 and I had zero control other than steering. He seems to think that stick = death and that means take off 15 feet away from everything and leave strides out. Here is the point of the horse show where I decided to quit while we were kind of ahead (alive).

“OMG SHE HAS A STICK!”

The Good – Well, at least we ended on an okay note? He jumped around everything fine again and seemed to understand that it’s still his job to jump the jump even when the distance isn’t perfect. And after I bathed him and gave him a bunch of cookies his personality seemed to be returning to normal… he had his head back over the stall door begging for love, instead of hiding back in the corner like he had been.

The Bad – Well obviously this was a big fat fail. We both lost confidence in each other somehow. I still have no idea what really happened. The horse I had from Sat night to Sunday morning was not my normal horse. I don’t know if the humidity just really wiped him out more than I realized or if he truly had a “I’m really green and overwhelmed, let me have a meltdown now” kind of time. He’s never done anything like that before so I’m at a loss as to what that was really about.

The Good – Regardless of what caused it, we’ll fix it. I think Sunday was enough to fix it really, but we’ll fix it more in the next few weeks. He is always such a good egg, this was completely out of character for him. We’ll also take a step back. Obviously he’s still got some kinks to iron out at his current level before he’s ready to take on anything more ambitious. We’ll go home, iron out those kinks, rebuild, and be back to try again another day. He’s still adorable and I still love him. No permanent damage done.

The Bad – I completely over-committed myself for the whole weekend. I got very little sleep last week, even less sleep over the weekend, and have had a cough/sinus issue that I haven’t yet been able to shake. I had the horse show on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and then on Monday I had a triathlon. Only the bike leg of a relay team, but still. Yesterday was an even EARLIER morning (5am on a holiday is just stupid) and even more physically taxing activity. I feel pretty dead right now and still have a nasty cough along with some really interesting stuff coming from my lungs.

The Good – My team won the female relay and we were the second fastest overall relay even against the men/co-ed teams. The fastest men’s team only beat us by one minute and I was the fastest female on the bike for any of the relay teams. I pedaled as hard as my dead horse show legs possibly could go, and left it all out there to the point where I was borderline blacking out when I staggered back to the relay pen and handed off the timing chip to our runner. But our win at least helped salvage a little scrap of my self esteem and dignity for the weekend. A little teeny tiny microscopic scrap.

If anyone needs me I’ll be wallowing in shame and regret for a few days until I manage to get over it and decide to move on. I already hid my feelings in a cream cheese kolache this morning and ate them. Because everyone has to be good at something.